by Hazel Parker
My words died in my throat at the sight of Lucas. He was wearing a frown on his face.
He was wearing nothing else.
Oh, my God.
The man was buck naked, and it made him seem taller than usual. My eyes glimpsed broad shoulders, light golden skin tanned to perfection, muscles packed in every corner, trailing down to a trim waist and a v-cut and—
My eyes flew up before I could look, and my body went numb. Words flew out of my mouth, most of them stammering and not making any sense at all. The frown disappeared from his face, to be replaced by a raised brow as he crossed his arms and waited for me to finish babbling. Without intending to, my eyes went to where his arm muscles bulged at the arm-crossing movement.
“My eyes are up here.”
My gaze flew up again, and my cheeks turned hot. “You were asleep, Your Highness. I am of the knowledge that I can clean your room, so long as I don’t bother you.”
“Your knowledge is wrong.”
The words were cold as usual, and I should have no longer been affected. Instead, I felt my body stiffening as I kept my gaze on his face.
His blue eyes pierced, and my body felt warm.
“You asked me to come here,” I said, and even I could hear the defiance in my tone.
“And now you can leave. Come back tomorrow.”
“But—”
“Now get out.”
Oh, he was unbelievable! I nodded my head stiffly, stifling the urge to just fist my hand and knock him out. He probably wouldn’t even feel a thing, considering how unfeeling he was.
I couldn’t resist getting a last word in. “As you say, Your Princely Highness,” I bit out.
Then I stalked out of there with my fury rising again.
And my heart beating too fast to be considered normal.
* * *
Bumping into Benjamin wasn’t part of the plan, but that was exactly what happened as I rounded the corner and almost stumbled over him. It would have been embarrassing, but his reflexes were quick as he steadied me with gentle fingers.
He looked pleasantly good, with his white shirt and gray sweatpants that told me he had just woken up. His blond hair was disheveled, and there was a certain sparkle in his gray eyes that spoke of happiness to see me.
Whereas Lucas’ piercing blue had my heart beating fast, this one made it calm down and soften as I gave Benjamin a smile, one he returned readily.
“Good morning, Liz.”
I bowed, but he pulled me playfully and had me standing straight again.
“Stop doing that when it’s just the two of us,” he admonished. “We’re different, remember?”
My heart softened all the more, and the tension from my shoulders relaxed. I heaved a huge sigh of relief. “You really are a nice guy, aren’t you? It wasn’t all for show.”
My statement seemed to surprise him as he raised both brows. Then he grinned. “Of course I am. Why would you ever think I’d be cruel?”
“You’re a prince. You can be the biggest jerk on earth, and no one would care.” Like your brother, I almost added. But I clamped my mouth shut.
“I’d rather be a good example to the people.”
Deciding that he wasn’t going to be offended, I smirked. “Is that why you ran away?”
His eyes widened. Then he threw back his head and laughed, and it looked so adorable on him that I felt the beginnings of a crush developing. It was a pretty harmless one, and I knew it wouldn’t result in anything, but it was nice all the same.
“Sometimes life here can get pretty tedious and stifling, and I guess I needed a change. I’m confident it won’t affect how I rule Osmerol in the future.”
“So you always run away?”
“Lucas is usually the rebellious one, but now I seem to have taken his place.”
That was a surprise. While Lucas was cold, he seemed to be a stickler for rules. I shrugged the thought of him off when my heart starting that beating-too-fast thing again.
“Well, I heard you’ll have women vying to be your wife soon, so you might need to behave from now on.”
His eyes twinkled. “I guess so.”
We chatted some more, lost in our own world as I grew comfortable with him, just like I did in my old apartment. Belatedly, I realized that somebody was bound to see us, so I reluctantly cut the conversation short. A thought entered my mind, and I went with it.
“If someone really irritates you, what do you think you would do?”
He tilted his head, considering. “The thing I should do is to let it be and hold my head high.”
I nodded my head, resigned.
“However, the thing I would want to do…”
My ears perked. “Yes?”
“Retaliate in my own harmless way,” he said solemnly. He was trying to stifle a smile. “What’s this about?”
“It’s nothing, really. Have a great day, Your Highness!” I practically shouted in the air in case someone was listening.
Then I was walking out of there, my mood bright again.
* * *
It wasn’t until I was cleaning Lucas’ room for about four days straight that I realized what I should have realized from the very beginning.
All the dirtiness was on purpose.
And I wouldn’t have found out if Darla hadn’t snitched.
I mean, sure, I heard he had all those bottles lying around, but clothes…I hadn’t heard that gossip. The older maids always praised him for being clean. Are you sure it wasn’t just a one-time thing?
No, it wasn’t a one-time thing, and yes, it pissed me off all over again. I remembered Benjamin’s words to me a few days before about propriety versus retaliation, letting it war in my brain as I stewed over the clothes all over the walk-in closet floor. Lucas wasn’t around today, and I knew the princes had an early day for some closed-in meeting with the queen.
And I was pretty sure that when he got back here, he was just going to trash everything again for the sake of trashing them.
So I did what I could without getting discovered, shifting some clothes here and there and trying to do it as fast as possible. Everything that was organized became even more organized—except everything was not in its place, and he was going to have quite a time searching for what he wanted or needed.
It was petty. It was pretty low even for me, but I didn’t care and didn’t think I would get discovered. That was the best revenge—knowing you did something to confuse the person you disliked so much without him knowing it was even done. I disliked him so much, it was all I could think about. He was all I could think about, and it was bordering on an obsession that alarmed me.
I never thought about men this much: not even Benjamin.
My own stunt lifted my spirits up again, and I powered through the rest of my tasks with so much ease that even the older housekeepers were impressed. I quietly celebrated the fact that I got away with it.
Nine hours later, a soft knock came at my door—the same knock that I unexpectedly received before.
Dread hit me as I opened it and slipped out. That dread intensified when I was faced with stormy blue eyes.
“You did that on purpose,” he bit out.
I blinked, suddenly feeling nervous. It traveled in my stomach, then up my brain, and I almost apologized right then and there. But something came over me—a boldness that was almost defiant and my next answer was calm.
“Whatever do you mean, Your Highness?”
His eyes flared, and a small triumph filled me. That triumph disappeared when he stepped forward in long strides, leaving me no choice but to step back until my back hit the wall. He boxed me in, and suddenly whatever breath I had left me as I felt the heat and hardness of his body, inches away.
Something pooled in my belly, hot and potent.
“If you do that again, I’ll…do things,” he said quietly. It was a threat, one supported by him coming even closer. Those darkened blue eyes met mine, and they darkened even further and had my nerves rattli
ng.
One more step and our bodies would be touching. One more…
He glared and walked off.
Heart almost palpitating, I stayed where I was for a while. Slowly, I placed my palm on my chest, willing myself to calm down. This was a cat and mouse game that I unwittingly played because of my own uncontrollable emotions.
Unfortunately, I was the mouse to a very big cat, and he didn’t have any qualms about toying with me.
And I should never have played.
Chapter 8
LUCAS
“Welcome to our humble home. It is our great pleasure to have you visiting us tonight.”
The line was the same, and I’d been repeating it endlessly since the first princess stepped in and entered the palace. That was an hour ago, and so far, they were all the same—wearing elaborate ball gowns that spoke of wealth and style, sporting lovely, graceful smiles on their faces that spoke of manners, and looking demurely eager to meet the crown prince, who was waiting for them in the grand hall.
It wasn’t necessarily my task to greet them as they came in, but I did it all the same for the sake of having a firsthand impression of what they would be like. It was more of a screening than anything—and so far, all of them met my expectations and had me satisfied that there was nothing to worry about.
I let that assurance carry me as I made small talk with the last incoming princess and walked her to the grand hall myself. She was Russian and the daughter of the king’s sister in law, with those dark good looks that their family heritage boasted. She was young enough to catch Benjamin’s attention but old enough to be witty and to retain it. My brother had a tendency of getting bored with political discussions when it wasn’t done in the meeting room, and I only hoped she’d have enough smarts to catch his interest in a different way.
The grand hall was wonderful, with all the lights polished and turned on, and food imported from all the queen’s favorite places around the city and out of it. We made sure to have something of everything prepared for everyone, along with our own signature dishes so they’d get a taste of our culture, too. It was the sort of weapon that Laverna liked weaving, and I spotted her now in her element as she smiled and conversed quietly with the local head vicar.
The princesses were scattered all around the hall, taking their turns to approach the crown prince who stood near the throne chair with his back ramrod straight. Benjamin’s smile looked sincere enough, and the way he responded to whatever the conversing princess was saying exuded confidence and charm, one that was bred into him ever since he was born.
But I knew him too well and knew what those gestures covered, and I detected the emotion in his eyes before others could.
It was boredom.
That didn’t bode well. I couldn’t exactly call him out in public, but I also didn’t think I could relax. So I observed him. I observed his interactions with the princesses as subtly as I could, all while making my own obligatory conversations with them and observations of them.
An hour later, no one was the wiser as Benjamin worked up a charm. Eventually, all twelve princesses were fighting for his attention, and it was so subtle that it should have been amusing. Instead, I felt the too-formal air seeping into me. It made me feel restless, but not enough to leave here and go to the west wing. There was plenty of time for that later, and I wanted to make sure Benjamin would be safely there once this ball ended, too.
The next course of action was the most sensible. Without thinking twice, I stepped away from the hall and into one of the dark hallway corners, which led to some potted plants and a large French window that I could easily open. I did so, then took out a cigarette from my pocket. I couldn’t have alcohol now, but this would ease me back into my usual calm self.
Just as I was about to light it up, a shadowed movement beside one of the pots had me pausing. I squinted. I stared when a tiny figure stepped out and eyed me with big brown eyes.
I sighed. Then I stashed the cigarette away and watched as his expression turned wary, almost like he was expecting me to do something harsh.
“Don’t look like that. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Kyle nodded his head, the movement slow and tentative. It made me feel like trash as I remembered our conversation on the balcony and how I practically threatened him out of there. But that was necessary, and I had no choice in that scenario.
This was a completely different matter.
When the kid still remained quiet, I tried to use a different approach. “Have you been observing for a while now?” I asked.
He nodded again, then hesitated. I waited patiently, trying to appear calm as he seemed torn. Finally, he gave in.
“It looks so grandiose.”
“It does,” I agreed. The queen had a tendency of showing off, and this was no exception. Amusement slid through me at his use of the word, and curiosity came. “So what did you observe so far?”
“The princesses are so pretty.”
“Just pretty?”
“I haven’t talked to them, so I can’t determine yet until I know what their thoughts are.”
“What about body language? What are your thoughts?”
“The red-haired princess looks young and unsure of herself. She tries to cover it up with her bright smile, but it’s obvious she always waits for a princess to do something before she does it next. She never does anything first.”
My brows rose. That was my exact thought on the Irish royal, except I didn’t get to deduce it as cleanly as he did. “Hmm. What else?”
“The blond princess looks like she’s experienced with social events. She’s always eagerly looking for the crown prince with her eyes, but she’s polite and waits her turn to talk to him.”
The English royal. I did know she was older than the other women, probably middle twenties, which suited Benjamin’s twenty-nine perfectly.
“Hmm. What about the others?”
One by one, Kyle scrutinized the princesses, using clear observations without insulting them. In fact, he was so polite and so precise that it had me staring at him in fascination without responding for a long time. When he finally rounded it all out and appeared nervous, I couldn’t resist voicing out my own thoughts.
“Where did you learn all that?”
The boy shrugged. “Liz taught me to be watchful of my surroundings, and that included the people. We used to live in alleys before she found work, and we could never trust anyone. Sometimes we had our blankets yanked from us in our sleep, and other times we would be followed on the streets by people with bad intentions. She was always one step ahead of them and told me I needed to do the same. When we got our first apartment, the first thing she bought wasn’t food but two sturdy locks. She’s always trying to keep me safe.”
The images his words conveyed deeply disturbed me. While I didn’t necessarily agree with Liz and Kyle being here, the thought that they were constantly harassed on the streets…well, it didn’t sit well with me, either.
“And are you safe now?”
He looked at me uncertainly. “Temporarily, I guess. I know she came here for me. She wanted me to learn what I could from the library while she saves money. She has this ridiculous plan of sending me to school when she has enough savings, even though I keep telling her I can learn everything through books. School sounds nice, though.”
No wonder she was rude. She thought I was a threat to what she was trying to provide for Kyle.
It all made sense now—that thirst I felt in her, the desperation that she tried to cover up with boldness and her spunkiness, which allowed her to survive and keep her brother alive. But that still didn’t make it right for her to take advantage, and I knew there needed to be a balance.
Maybe I wouldn’t try driving her away now.
But I wouldn’t stop watching in case she tried anything deceitful, either.
With an inward sigh, I approached Kyle and took the first step, patting his shoulder. “You’re a good kid.”
His
eyes widened, then turned solemn. “And you’re a good man. I can feel it.”
I wondered if he felt something else in me—the darkness that was building up day by day. Instead of asking, I nodded my head and advised him to eat before he went to sleep. I watched him walk off, then stepped to the edge of the hallway corner as I watched the party scene once again.
No one seemed to have noticed that I disappeared, which was just as well. Maybe I could stay here for a little bit longer. I used my eyes to see what Kyle saw, amazed as it all started making sense—every bit of body language, every movement that the royal women made that spoke more of their motives. I was pretty observant myself, but Kyle was a step up, and I noted to treat him to some really good food as a thank you. Or maybe a good book for him to keep.
Just as I was about to join the fray, a glint on the other hallway corner caught my eye. I paused, squinting.
It was an empty silver tray, held in the hands of a familiar figure. Said figure was doing what Kyle did earlier—standing behind a potted plant and staring at the scene in fascination. Her brown curls were in disarray, and her uniform was askew, unbuttoned at the very top to reveal milky skin and some freckles.
Liz was too busy looking at Benjamin and the women to notice me looking at her, and that was just fine by me.
She looked softer now. But then again, maybe she just looked this soft whenever I wasn’t around. She also looked relaxed, like she was ready to settle down and had just dropped by to take a peek.
My gaze strayed to her face, where I found the same dark circles still there, indicating lack of sleep. Her brown eyes were focused, and something glinted in them—no, sparkled. I realized she was amused over something as she covered her mouth with her hand, and I glanced at what she was looking at and saw that one of the princesses looked flustered as Benjamin tried flirting with her.
I looked back at Liz, who now removed her hand from her mouth. Her mouth opened partially, and she licked her upper lip with her pink tongue. They looked entirely too kissable for her own good: entirely too soft.
